, 1887-09-23
THE PHILOSOPHY OF eeDsTEADs.
Experiments Made by n scientist-The
Atmosphere of the Bedroom.

Experiments Made by u soientist-Tho
Atmosphere of the Bedroom.
Primitive and Oriental people lie on the
ground or on a carpet, bed, or mattress
which is laid IN the ground. Modern
western civilization is not satisfied with
this; it demands bedsteuds, with legs
that shall raise the sleeper well above the
floor level. Is any sound scientific justi-
fcation of this latter practice discover
able? l think there is, and that my ex-
PLANTATION will prove that the question is
not 30 frivolous as it may at first sight
appear.
A very interesting paper was read be-
fore the Society of Arts on March % by
DR.. Percy F.. FARMLAND, in which, among
other matters, he described experiments
made by himself and others, proving that
microbia, pathogenic and otherwise, do
not remai suspended in still air; they
fall much more freely than might be sup
posed from what is known concerning in
lection by poison germs floating in the
air. Hesse's experiments show this
clearly. Koch's method of testing for
the existence of microbia in the air was
to expose dishes or strips of glass con-
tanning gelatinous solid films. On these
the microhia fall and find abundant nutri-
ment, and multiply accordingly, forming
colonies that may be counted, and may
be examined with tho microscope.
But this only indicates the numbers
falling on a given area, not the numbers
contained in a given measure of air. To
determine these, Hesse used tubes about
three feet long and one and one-half
inches diameter, internally coated with
the sterile nutritious gelatine peptone. A
measured quantity of air was drawn
slowly through the tubes, when it was
discovered that the colonies were all at
the bottom of the tube, and not evenly
distributed even over the bottom, but
were more or less crowded together at
the end where the air entered, and more
and more sparsely distributed further in
ward until the latter half of the tube was
almost entirely free. The microbia had
all fallen down in the course of the short
journey of the air. The mold colonies
spread all along the tube, showing that
fungus germs float in the air, while BAG
terra fall.
Other experiments show that in an or
binary apartment the questionable or
ganisms are more and more abundant,
descending from ceiling to floor. There
fore the raising of our beds well above
the level of the floor places us in a better
atmosphere, so far as these microbia are
concerned, than if we slept as in the east.
This is especially the case if the air of the
room is still, as is usually the case in the
bedrooms of these ATTITUDES. In rooms of
the old oriental pattern, without window
glass, the case is somewhat different. 1t
may be supposed that, carbonic acid
being heavier than air, there is much
more near the floor thar a little higher.
Owing to the diffusibiity Of the gas this,
however, is not the case in any measur-
able degree. The carbonic acid we ex-
pire gets an upward start on leaving our
lungs; the mixture expired is, except in
hot weather, specifically lighter than that
which we inspire on account of its higher
temperature.-Mattieu Williams in The
Gentlpman's Magazine.